Disappointed Devlin will take positives from Louth defeat

Louth clawed their way back from the brink against Meath at Croke Park on Saturday evening, only to be caught by a late two-pointer and lose by the minimum in the Allianz National Football League, Division Two clash.

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Speaking at full-time, Louth boss Gavin Devlin said: “I think the first thing that went wrong was that incident at the start of the game. Losing Sam (Mulroy) and Ciarán Downey from the throw-in was a massive hit for us.

“Whatever about Meath losing two inside defenders, we lost our two assassins inside, and it really disrupted us for those ten minutes.

“We came back into it again, but that's been happening a couple of times now, where the opposition has that wee bit of a run on us with a breeze.

“We've got to stay in the game; we've got to see that out. At the moment, we're just hammering too many scores in that period of the game.

“It's something we've been working on in the training field, trying to just stay in the game in those moments.

“That’s the new game now, that opposition gets the run on you. They get that momentum, and you've just got to try and figure it out and stay in the game.

“At half-time, (Meath were) 11 up. We knew the game hadn't been gone from us just with the breeze and one thing or another, and we'd work our way back into it, but it was just too much.

“We came in at half-time, 11 down. We had to find a better solution than we did in that moment.”

Second-half

Louth slowly and calmly chipped away at the scoreboard in the second half to take the lead.

“I think the beauty of that second half was that it wasn't rushed. We'd go up and miss a few chances. They would get out the back. They would try and control the ball like Cork did the previous week.

“We stuck at it this week. At half-time, we had a really good half-time. We knew that even in the first half, we were getting in behind them in certain moments.

“If we got our chances in the second half and defended better, we knew that they would have to come on a wee bit more against the breeze.

“We could be a wee bit more compact and tighter. We just edged our way a bit by bit back into the game in the second half, which was so nice to watch.

“It was just devastating at the end there to go one up. Again, another thing we'd worked on all week was Jack Flynn. I think that's his second week in a row, or third week in a row now, nailing them two-pointers.

“Maybe just with the breeze, our guys thought that just with the significance of the breeze that he couldn't nail it from there. He's a brilliant striker of the ball. Just the way he struck that was just phenomenal.

“It's just disappointing to blend the effort that we did and have nothing out of it in terms of league points, but we took a lot of it in terms of performance and belief.”

Breeze

A deceiving wind played its part throughout the match.

“Even the first half, which was deceiving down the pitch level, it really was deceiving. Kick-outs and one thing or another, the ball's hanging up. It's just disappointing to come so close there at the end and not see the game out.”

Positive reply

There was pride in the manner of the Louth response.

“The boys that finished the moves at the top end of the field, the Sam’s (Mulroy) and the Craig’s (Lennon) and (Ciarán) Downey’s and them boys, but it was really a team effort in that second half.

“From the goalkeeper right out, our defending, staying together, and not getting stretched. We first made over time after time in that second half, our counterattack and our control of the ball.

“We were able to move it through our feet, and when it wasn't on, finding the moments to run the ball and be calm and not rush the attack. Because against Cork, we felt that the scoreboard, we played to the scoreboard, and we were rushing things.

“They caught us in transitional moments in the second half. I think we learned a lot this week, where we just ebbed our way back into the game.

“To do that and to do it in style and not come away with anything at the end, it's a bit heartbreaking in terms of not getting anything out of the game.

“But look, it's a league game, although it's important, the most important thing is the performance and the belief we'll get out of that will be tenfold.”

Lynch injury

There is also a worry over defender Peter Lynch, who was replaced in the first half due to injury.

“The first half, although we went 11 down, there's so many ifs and buts about it. I said from the very start, from the throw-in, when you lose Sam and Ciarán, that loses your whole shape and kick-outs, and our press in the kick-out is so disorientating.

“Playing with 13 instead of 15, and then for Peter Lynch, he was playing so well to go down, and it looks like a nasty enough injury there now.

“He'll be assessed now on Monday. We'll go for a scan on Sunday if we can, and if not, then Monday, and we'll figure out how bad he actually is. But at the moment there, he's in there, and he took a right whack, so we'll have to assess him on Monday.”

Crucial kick

“I think it was just before 69 (minutes), I looked up and it was about 90 seconds, or just under it left. The first thing in my head was, no two-pointer, no matter what.

“We were pressing hard again for the kick-out, and maybe in that moment, maybe just drop in that moment, just make sure that we get our depth and our defence and then don't allow a two-pointer.

“Whatever with them getting in behind, getting a one-pointer, make them play for that moment, but definitely no two-pointer.

“I think when we analyse it and look back, that'll be something the boys won't be happy with. But what can we say, what they did in that second half in terms of energy and endeavour, sticking together was so, so important.

“It's so easy to go into that dressing room at half-time thinking this game's up. It's just so disappointing the way it ended.”

Jack Flynn

The Meath midfielder struck a critical two-point blow from distance in the dying minute.

“Jack Flynn, I think his third week in a row doing it, and as soon as he got it, when he's come down on his left side, we're like, good, good, good, don't let him back on his right side because that's whenever he's so devastating.

“Then to come back and say we said he's going to take a pull at this. We didn't need to give him a pull at all at that. We had to get the numbers across.

“Just whatever about him taking another pass to go inside the arc. We could live with that. We'd have got something out of the game. It's all ifs and buts and hindsight. It's easy now. Yeah, disappointing.”

Tyrone next

There is little time to dwell as Devlin prepares his players for the next challenge against Tryone on Sunday.

“There's boys in there, and their heads are down. They've come so close to putting so much energy into the second half to come away with nothing.

“Heads are down, but our boys, they're made of the right stuff, and they've a lot of experience now.

“It's just getting their bodies reset now for Tyrone coming next Sunday. It's a massive game now, and every game is important.

“None more so than this Tyrone game coming up next Sunday, so reset, refocus and go after that one now.”